Shoe having a reinforcement member for a sole

ABSTRACT

A shoe includes a sole unit having a top face, a bottom face and a peripheral wall interconnecting the top and bottom faces. A reinforcement member is attached to at least one of the top face and the peripheral wall. An upper has a bottom open end stitched to the reinforcement member along the length of the reinforcement member. Due to the presence of the reinforcement member, the sole unit can be produced from a wide range of materials without being limited to any particular high tearing strength material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe which includes a reinforcement member to reinforce a sole unit of the shoe.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 shows a conventional shoe of “Opanka” construction which comprises a midsole 1, an outsole 2 cemented to the bottom of the midsole 1, an upper 3 and a lining 4. The bottom end of the upper 3 is sewn directly to the top of the outer peripheral end of the midsole 1. Such a shoe construction provides good flexibility. However, in order to be sewn to the bottom end of the upper 3, the material of the midsole 1 must have a certain level of tearing strength and therefore is limited to a particular high tearing strength material. For example, although EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) and PU (polyurethane) are materials commonly used for making midsoles, only PU can be used for the midsole 1 in order to satisfy the tearing strength required by the midsole 1. Moreover, while PU provides sufficient strength, it can increase weight and induce the problem of hydrolysis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a shoe which has an appearance of an Opanka shoe construction and which can be produced from a wide range of light weight materials without being limited to any particular material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe, which has an Opanka construction, but still utilizes the existing flat sole without the need to open a new mold for forming a sole with a flange projecting upward from the top face thereof.

Accordingly the present invention provides a shoe which comprises: a sole unit having a top face, a bottom face and a peripheral wall interconnecting the top and bottom faces; a reinforcement member attached to at least one of the top face and the peripheral wall; and an upper having a top open end and a bottom open end, the bottom open end being stitched to the reinforcement member along the length of the reinforcement member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the second preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a third preferred embodiment according to the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a fourth preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be illustrated with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, wherein like elements are represented by like reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 2, a first embodiment of the shoe according to the present invention includes a sole unit 50, a reinforcement member 30 and an upper 40.

The sole unit 50 in this embodiment is configured as an outsole and is made of EVA. The sole unit 50 has a top face 51, a bottom face 52, a peripheral wall 53 interconnecting the outer ends of the top and bottom faces 51, 52, and a flange 54 extending along the peripheral wall 53 and projecting upwardly from the top face 51.

The reinforcement member 30 is formed as a wrapping which is made of a sheeting material which may be fabric, leather, PU, TPU. The reinforcement member 30 includes an inner side 31 and an outer side 32 opposite to the inner side 31. In this embodiment, the reinforcement member 30 is made of leather or fabric. The reinforcement member 30 extends longitudinally along full length of the flange 54, and is folded to enclose the flange 54 and has longitudinally extending inner and outer margins 33 and 34 secured respectively to the top face 51 and the peripheral wall 53. The inner side 31 of the reinforcement member 30 is secured to the top face 51 and the peripheral wall 53 of the sole unit 50 through a gluing process or a hot pressing process.

The upper 40 has a top open end 41 and a bottom open end 42. The bottom open end 42 extends along the reinforcement member 30, is turned outward, and is secured or stitched to the inner margin 33 of the reinforcement member 30 at a side opposite to the top face 51 of the sole unit 50. In this embodiment, the bottom open end 42 of the upper 40 is sewn to the reinforcement member 30 and the sole unit 50.

The above-mentioned construction of the present invention provides the following advantages:

Since the peripheral wall 53 of the sole unit 50 is reinforced by means of the reinforcement member 30, since the bottom open end 42 of the upper 40 extends along the inner margin 33, and since the reinforcement member 30 and the sole unit 50 are attached to each other, even if the sole unit 50 is made of EVA, which cannot be used in the Opanka construction traditionally, due to the arrangement of the reinforcement member 30, the sole unit 50 can have sufficient tearing strength to permit the bottom open end 42 of the upper 40 to be sewn to the sole unit 50. Therefore, the sole unit 50 need not be limited to a PU material and will not cause the problem of hydrolysis of the PU material. Any other material, such as EVA or blown rubber may be used to make the sole unit 50. Moreover, the weight of the shoe according to the present invention can be reduced.

For manufacturing the shoe of the present invention, the reinforcement member 30 may be firstly attached to the sole unit 50, and then connected to the upper 40. Alternatively, the reinforcement member 30 may first be attached, such as by stitching, to the upper 40 and then connected to the sole unit 50.

Referring to FIG. 3, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is substantially similar to the first embodiment except for the following differences: As shown in FIG. 3, the sole unit 50′ of the second embodiment includes a midsole 10 and an outsole 20. The midsole 10 includes a top face 11, a bottom face 12, a peripheral wall 13 interconnecting the top and bottom faces 11 and 12, and a flange 14 extending along the peripheral wall 13 and projecting upward from the top face 11. In this embodiment, the midsole 10 is made of EVA. The outsole 20 is glued to the bottom face 12 of the midsole 10.

The reinforcement member 30′ in the second embodiment includes an inner layer 35 and an outer layer 36 glued to the inner layer 35. The inner layer 35 is made of leather or fabric, whereas the outer layer 36 is made from a PU material. The inner margin 33 of the inner layer 35 is secured to the top face 11 of the midsole 10 along the length of the outer peripheral end of the top face 11. The outer margin 34 of the reinforcement member 30′ extends to the bottom face 12 of the midsole 10 and is secured between the midsole 10 and the outsole 20. The bottom open end 42 of the upper 40 extends along the inner margin 33 of the reinforcement member 30′, and is turned outward, and is sewn to the reinforcement member 30′ and the midsole 10.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention which differs from the second embodiment in that the bottom open end 42 of the upper 40 is turned outward and then inward before it is sewn to the reinforcement member 30′.

Referring to FIG. 5, a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes an upper 40, a reinforcement member 30″, an outsole 20 and a midsole 10′ like the second embodiment. However, the shape of the midsole 10′ is different from the midsole 10 of the second embodiment, and the reinforcement member 30″ is formed as a strip of substantially L-shaped cross-section. As discussed above, the reinforcement member 30″ also can be substantially T-shaped in cross-section. In fact, the shape of the cross-section of the aforesaid strip allows different types of cross-sections and is not limited only to L-shaped or T-shaped. The reinforcement member 30″ may be made of any high tear strength material such as PU, rubber, PVC, or TPR. The reinforcement member 30″ extends along the peripheral wall 13′ of the midsole 10′ and is glued to the top face 11 of the midsole 10′. The bottom open end 42 of the upper 40 is sewn to the reinforcement member 30″ opposite to the top face 11. In fact, the upper 40 may first be stitched to the reinforcement member 30″ and then attached or glued to the midsole 10′ and the outsole 20.

Apart from achieving the objective and results of the first preferred embodiment, the reinforcement member 30″ in the fourth embodiment can provide an outer appearance similar to that of the Opanka construction by merely using the midsole 10′ which is flat like the commonly used midsole. As such, it is unnecessary to provide a specially designed midsole such as that shown in FIG. 1. In manufacturing, the reinforcement member 30″ may be first sewn or stitched to the midsole 10′ and then stitched or sewn to the upper 40. Or, the reinforcement member 30″ may be first sewn or stitched to the upper 40 and then sewn or stitched to the midsole 10′.

As described above, the shoe provided with the reinforcement member 30″ in the fourth embodiment can have an outer appearance of the Opanka construction. Furthermore, the material of the midsole need not be limited to a particular high tearing strength material, and the weight of the shoe can be reduced.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A shoe comprising: a sole unit having a top face, a bottom face and a peripheral wall interconnecting said top and bottom faces; a reinforcement member attached to at least one of said top face and said peripheral wall; and an upper having a top open end and a bottom open end, said bottom open end being stitched to said reinforcement member along said reinforcement member.
 2. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom open end of said upper is turned outward.
 3. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom open end of said upper is turned outward and then inward.
 4. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcement member is made of a sheeting material and extends along said peripheral wall, said reinforcement member including a longitudinal inner margin and a longitudinal outer margin, said inner margin being secured to said top face adjacent to said peripheral wall, said outer margin being secured to said peripheral wall, said bottom open end of said upper being stitched to said inner margin at a side opposite to said top face.
 5. The shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said bottom open end of said upper is sewn to said reinforcement member and said sole unit.
 6. The shoe as claimed in claim 5, wherein said sole unit further includes a flange projecting upward from said top face and extending along said peripheral wall, said reinforcement member enclosing said flange between said inner and outer margins.
 7. The shoe as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sole unit is configured as an outsole.
 8. The shoe as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sole unit includes an outsole and a midsole, said reinforcement member being attached to said midsole.
 9. The shoe as claimed in claim 8, wherein said outer margin of said reinforcement member extends to a bottom side of said midsole and between said midsole and said outsole.
 10. The shoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein said outsole is made of a material selected from a group consisting of EVA and blown rubber.
 11. The shoe as claimed in claim 9, wherein said midsole is made of EVA.
 12. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcement member is made of a material selected from a group consisting of leather, fabric and a PU material.
 13. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcement member includes an inner layer and an outer layer.
 14. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said inner layer is made of a material selected from a group consisting of leather and fabric, said outer layer being made of a PU material.
 15. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcement member is formed as a strip which is secured to said top face along said peripheral wall, said bottom open end of said upper being stitched to said strip at a side opposite to said top face.
 16. The shoe as claimed in claim 15, wherein said bottom open end of said upper is sewn to said strip, said strip having an L-shaped cross-section.
 17. The shoe as claimed in claim 15, wherein said bottom open end of said upper is sewn to said strip, said strip having a T-shaped cross-section.
 18. The shoe as claimed in claim 15, wherein said reinforcement member is made of a material selected from a group consisting of PU, blown rubber, TPU and PVC.
 19. The shoe as claimed in claim 15, wherein said sole unit includes a midsole and an outsole, said strip being attached to said midsole, said midsole being made of EVA.
 20. The shoe as claimed in claim 15, wherein said sole unit is configured as an outsole and is made of a material selected from a group consisting of EVA, rubber, blown rubber, PU, TPR, and TPU. 